Only Time Will Tell
by melbo18
Summary: First there's Lex, Doogie's cousin. And then... there's Vinnie.
1. The Atomic Nachos

Howdy, all! This story is for christianrockstar, whose list of ideas inspired me to write this! This will eventually turn out to be some of her ideas combined, mixed up, and rematched to make an epic tale of life, love, and heartaches that will capture audiences worldwide and make you laugh, cry, and tell those you love exactly how you feel… or not. We'll see how it goes. So tell me what you like and what you hate, but please don't flame me (you all are too nice for that anyways!)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Doogie Howser, M.D._! And I don't own anything except my old 1993 Chevy Cavalier with a clutch that only works sometimes, and a few textbooks (_The Elements of Music, A Complete Guide to Brass,_ and _Canons for Sight Singing)_, so don't sue me, please!

P.S. I used to watch this show when it was on TV, but I was like 5 years old when it first started, and during the last season, I was only 8, so I don't remember much about it. But I have seen the first season on DVD, so most of this is taken from what I've observed on the first season!

P.P.S. Some of you might be wondering about Janine after the end of this… well, since Vinnie and Janine were on again, off again until the end of the first season, let's just pretend like this is during an off-again part… Janine is still friends with Wanda and everything, but just not dating Vinnie!

Prologue: The Atomic Nachos

Lex Aidan stood up angrily, her big blue eyes shooting daggers towards the woman in front of her. "No!" she said. "They're counting on me! I've got to be there!" With that, she knelt down, scooping up her guitar case. She marched towards the front door.

"Don't youdare, Alexa Nicole!" Bethany Aidan shouted after her daughter.

Lex opened the door and stomped through it, slamming it shut behind her. She dashed towards the car waiting at the end of the driveway. "Go, Gavin," she said to the driver as she slid into the passenger seat. "Let's go!"

"But your--"

"Don't worry about her," Lex said, speaking of the short, thin woman yelling at her from the front door of the house. "Let's just go. We're already ten minutes late, it's probably safe to say that the boys are sufficiently pissed off."

"Shit, Lex, why does your mother do this every time?" Gavin Andrews asked as his car screeched out onto the deserted road of the development.

Lex shrugged as she leaned back in the bucket seat. "Dunno," she muttered as she tossed her guitar into the back seat. She turned to look at the guy in the driver's seat. Though it was dark outside and she couldn't see well, she stopped short. "Gavin?"

"Yo," he said.

"What did you freakin' do to your hair?"

Gavin smiled widely and managed a quick gander at Lex before going back to the road in front of him. "You like?" he asked.

"It looks like a porcupine attacked your head," Lex said of the short spikes.

Gavin turned to glare at Lex. Shaking his head in disgust, he said, "Oh, bite me."

Lex rolled her eyes. "Just drive, Gavin."

"You're the one that brought it up!" Gavin argued as he merged onto the highway.

Lex didn't justify this with an answer; instead, she leaned down and busied herself with smoothing out her jeans.

They reached their destination five minutes later. Lex jumped out of the car, grabbing her guitar as Gavin hurried to her and grabbed her arm.

"Hm," said Gavin as he and Lex stood side-by-side, staring at the building in front of them.

"Gav?"

"Yo," Gavin said, using his favorite line.

"I think there's more space here than what's in your brain," Lex commented, the complex rising up in front of her.

"I'll have to say, it's the biggest bar I've ever seen," Gavin said, not realizing Lex's insult to him.

Lex took a breath, then let it out. "All right, let's do it."

The two headed towards the front door, where a huge bouncer was checking IDs. Lex and Gavin pushed their ways to the front of the pack of people standing in line. "We're with the band," Gavin said matter-of-factly to the large man.

"Go ahead," the bouncer grunted, and Lex and Gavin slipped inside.

"There's the stage," Lex said, pointing towards the far side of the large room they were in. The duo rounded the bar counter in the center and headed towards it.

"What the freak, man? Where were you two?" Fox McLeod was standing in the center of the stage, hooking up an amp to his bass guitar.

"Mrs. Aidan," Gavin said, jumping up to stand next to Fox and extending his hand to Lex, who put her guitar down on the wooden floor of the stage and joined the two.

"Jeez, Lex, again? When's your mom ever gonna figure out that you're a big girl?"

"Maybe when I'm forty," Lex said hopefully, carrying her guitar to the keyboard set up stage right.

Fox tossed the cord he was holding to the ground. "Well, I'm glad you're here. You shoulda heard Shane about five minutes ago, you've thoroughly pissed him off… again."

"See, didn't I tell you?" Lex said as she opened her guitar case and pulled her shiny acoustic guitar out.

"Yeah, but whose fault is that?" Gavin called from the drum set at the back of the stage, where he was testing out the chair height. "Good job setting this up, Fox," he added.

Lex rolled her eyes.

"Guys, we've got a dressing room right off the stage, first room on the right," Fox said. "I'll tell the others you're here." He headed offstage.

"I'll come with you," Gavin said, and he followed Fox.

Lex set to work, quickly tuning her guitar to the keyboard. Then she set it on its stand and headed towards the dressing room she knew the boys would be in.

"Heya, Lex," Cole Rockwell said as she entered, turning from the mirror where he was combing his longish bob of brown hair.

"Hey, Cole. Hi, Parker. What's up, Shane?" she said to the guys scattered throughout the room.

"Fashionably late again, I see," Parker Whitlock commented from the couch in the center where he and Gavin were paging through a guitar magazine.

"I wouldn't call it fashionable," Shane English said from where he and Fox were restringing Fox's bass guitar on the couch at the far end of the room.

"Chill out, Shane," Lex said, flopping down next to Gavin on the couch. "I coulda just not shown up at all."

"Under normal circumstances, _Alexa_, I would argue with you, but there's no time, we're on in ten minutes, and Fox's damn guitar isn't cooperating," Shane growled.

Lex stood and headed towards Shane and Fox. Taking the guitar, she had the string on in no time. "Show time, boys," she said with a smile. "This is why you keep me around."

All five boys groaned in unison at Lex as they headed towards the stage.

Lex didn't think twice as she stepped out onto the platform. She grabbed her guitar from next to the keyboard and headed towards centerstage, not even blinking at the bright lights shining in her face. This was nothing new to her; she had been performing with the band for over a year now, and this was just another gig. She glanced at Cole, who was standing next to her as she strapped on her guitar, and then glanced behind her to see Shane strapping on his electric guitar next to Parker on keyboards. Gavin on drums and Fox on bass, with lead singer Cole and second singer/acoustic guitarist Lex rounded out the group.

The crowd was cheering, not wildly or anything, but cheering. Lex grinned and looked to Cole again, who pulled his microphone off its stand. "Thank you!" he said. "We're the Atomic Nachos, and we're here to party! Kick it, Gav!"

And they were off. It was a heck of a concert, and Lex loved every minute of it. The band exited a couple of hours later after two rounds and a brief intermission. Lex was smiling like an idiot as she toted her guitar into the dressing room. She collapsed happily onto the couch, her grin never leaving her face as she sighed with glee. This was what she lived for. Whether it was playing guitar in the Atomic Nachos, or singing her solo at the top of her lungs with the gospel choir, or playing French horn in the orchestra, this was her life.

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"Hey, thanks for the lift, Gav," she called as she jumped out of the car.

"Yeah, dude, no prob," Gavin said back as Lex shut the car door. He pulled the car into the street, and Lex started up the front walk. In her mind, she was formulating the excuse that she would give to her mother.

"Mom?" she called as she entered the house, closing the door behind her. "Mom?" The living room was dark, so she hit the switch by the door and put her bag on the table next to it. She walked through the living room towards the stairs, pulling her shoes off with her feet and letting them randomly lie on the carpet. She ascended the stairs, figuring her mother had probably already gone to bed. When she reached the top, she noticed that the hall light was on. "Weird," she whispered, making her way towards her bedroom. On the way, she passed her mother's room. She was beginning to feel bad about the way she had treated her mother earlier that evening, so she stopped outside the door and knocked. "Mom?"

There was no answer. Lex figured Beth was sleeping, but she was itching to make things right with her mother, so she twisted the knob of the door. It swung open with a creak. By the light of the chandelier in the hallway, Lex could make out the shape of the queen bed and her mother's dresser. "Mom? Mom, can we talk?" She entered softly. "Mom?"

Suddenly, an eerie feeling of dread entered her heart. She couldn't explain it, but something felt very wrong. She flipped the light switch by the door, flooding the room with a yellow glow. What she saw made her heart fall to her feet.

"Mom!" she yelled, dashing into the room. "Mom! Mom! Are you okay?" She dropped to her knees by the bed, where her mother was splayed, unconscious. "Mom!"

If you were to ask her later about how exactly events transpired that night, she would tell you that she wasn't sure. Somehow she managed to call 911 from the phone next to the bed, and somehow she managed to sit next to her mother, holding her hand. To Lex, it seemed like eternity, but it was only a matter of minutes before she heard the paramedics in the hallway, calling out for Lex.

"In here," Lex found herself saying, her voice unbelievably steady for what was happening. "She's in here. Please, help her." No tears fell from her baby blues; she was surprising herself by how put-together she was staying.

Two men scurried into the bedroom, and Lex was quickly pushed away from her mother. Before she knew it, they were carrying her mother out on the stretcher.

And still, no tears fell from her eyes. Instead, Lex Aidan stood forlornly in her mother's bedroom, her heart empty, not sure what to do next.


	2. What's My Name?

Woot! Two chapters in one day! I hope this doesn't tick off the fans I have over in _The Mummy _fan fic! I'll get working on updating that story soon, but for now, here's chapter 1 of the story!

_Chapter 1 What's My Name?_

Doogie stood in front of the mirror, combing his hair. As he was doing this, he heard a thump by his computer and whirled around to face Vinnie Delpino, who had just jumped through the window of the bedroom. "Doog, man, is she here yet?"

Doogie made a face at his best friend. "Vinnie! Vinnie, why are you here?"

"I want to meet her!" Vinnie said. "Is she hot?"

Doogie rolled his eyes. "Vinnie, give it a rest. She's only fifteen years old, she's a little young for you."

"Doog! Doog, man, fifteen is perfect! She wouldn't _dare_ give up the chance to date an older man!" Vinnie fluffed his hair a little. "_No_ woman can resist this. Huh? Huh?" he said, giving Doogie a fake smile and pointing at his face with both index fingers.

"Vinnie, stop," Doogie said, moving away from the mirror. He sat in his desk chair and faced his friend. "I think you should just let her alone. Vinnie, her mother just died. I don't think she really wants you all over her."

Vinnie's face fell for a second, but then he smiled again. "So, she needs somebody to mend her broken heart! Why can't that person be me?"

Doogie sighed. Sometimes he just couldn't understand his friend.

"Douglas! Douglas?" a voice came from outside the door.

"Yeah, Dad," Doogie said. "Come on in."

"Douglas—Vincent. Vincent, when did you get here?"

"Uh--"

"He's getting ready to leave, _aren't you_, Vinnie?" Doogie asked.

"Oh, no, no, you should stay, Vincent," David Howser said. "Alexa ought to meet your friends, Douglas. Anyway, I just came up here to tell you that they're pulling into the drive right now. Why don't we go downstairs and meet them?"

Doogie nodded, and he and Vinnie followed Dr. Howser.

They ended up in the kitchen as the door opened. Mrs. Howser entered, a suitcase in each hand. "Come on in, Lex, they're here to meet you." She stepped aside.

Lex Aidan stepped slowly into the kitchen. Her long blond curls were flowing messily around her face. She was looking at the ground as she placed the suitcase she was carrying on the floor, and then finally looked up.

"Alexa! Welcome!" Dr. Howser said warmly, moving towards her. He held his arms out to her.

"Uncle David," she said softly as she hugged him. "Thank you."

"Lex," Doogie said, moving towards her. He hadn't seen his cousin in almost a year, and he was surprised at how much she had grown up. When he had been talking to Vinnie earlier, her fifteen years had seemed young compared to his and Vinnie's sixteen-almost-seventeen, but now she didn't seem so young, by the way she looked. He moved forward and hugged her as well. "Welcome home, Lex," he said to her.

"Thanks, Doogie," Lex told her cousin as the two pulled back. "And who's this?"

"This is my friend, Vinnie," Doogie said, pointing to his friend. "Vinnie?"

Vinnie had a strange look on his face as he stared at Lex.

"Vinnie?" Doogie asked. "Vinnie, this is my cousin, Lex."

"Uh, yeah, right. Sex. Uh—uh, I mean Lex. Yeah. Um, I'm Dinnie Velpino. I mean, I'm Pinnie Delvino. I mean, uh…" Vinnie trailed off and leaned over to Doogie. "Doog, what's my name?"

"You're Vinnie!" Doogie hissed back to his best friend, trying hard not to laugh.

"Uh, yeah! Yeah, that's right! I'm Vinnie!"

"Lex," Lex said, extending her hand and smiling a little.

Vinnie smiled like an idiot as he shook Lex's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said as he looked down into her eyes. He continued shaking her hand.

"Uh, yeah, you too," Lex said. "Can I have my hand back, please?"

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Vinnie said, snapping his hand back to his side, then combing his fingers through his dark hair nervously.

"Alexa, why don't we get you settled in?" asked Dr. Howser.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Mrs. Howser agreed. "Your room is upstairs; why don't we take you up and show you?"

Lex nodded in agreement, and she and Doogie's parents left the kitchen. Doogie was about to follow when Vinnie grabbed Doogie's arm. "Doog. Doog. Man, she's _hot_!" he said. "And best of all, she's shorter than me!"

Doogie sighed and turned to face Vinnie. "Vinnie, I mean it. Let her alone. She's got enough problems without you being all over her."

"Fine. I'll let her alone for now. But later… you'll fix me up with her, won't you?"

"_Vinnie_," groaned Doogie, grabbing Vinnie's shoulder and chuckling. "Let's just concentrate on now. Come on, let's go upstairs and help her unpack."

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Vinnie stayed for dinner. It was an uneventful meal, with Dr. and Mrs. Howser trying to involve Lex in conversation. She didn't have much to say; she'd answered questions aimed at her, politely, but that was it. Afterwards, Vinnie left for home, and Mrs. Howser told Lex that she should go and rest and get ready for school the next day, when she would begin attending the high school that Vinnie went to.

Doogie offered to help his mother with cleaning up while Dr. Howser went to his office to retrieve some paperwork he had forgotten. As he dried dishes, he asked his mother about Lex.

"She seems so… I don't know. Withdrawn," Doogie said.

Mrs. Howser nodded as she immersed a salad bowl into the hot water in the sink. "She is. She's taking her mother's death very hard. Though she will never admit it to anybody."

"Why not?" Doogie asked. "If she would just talk about it, there are so many people out there that can help!"

Mrs. Howser sighed. "I don't know." She shook her head and turned her head away from her son. But…" Mrs. Howser drew in a breath, then said, "At least I've grieved. Lex hasn't. The housekeeper that was staying with Lex until I arrived a few days ago says that Lex has not cried about this. At all."

Doogie shook his head and looked down. "That's unhealthy. I'm not a psychiatrist or anything, but I can tell you that it's not!"

"I know. And that's what worries me," said Mrs. Howser.

Doogie exhaled and pursed his lips.

Mrs. Howser shook her hands over the sink, sending water droplets sailing. Then she brushed a hand over her eyes. "I lost my sister. I can't loose my niece, too."

Doogie put the dish he was drying on the drying rack and moved to his mother, wrapping his arms around her. "It's okay, Mom. We won't lose her. Not while she's in this house. We'll be there for her. We'll be her support. We're all grieving over Aunt Beth's sudden death, too. So we've got something more in common with her than that housekeeper."

Mrs. Howser pulled back from Doogie. "You're right," she said swiping at her eyes. She nodded vigorously, not so much for Doogie's benefit, but for her own, as she was trying to convince herself of that. "You're right."

"We'll make her feel welcome, and we'll make her feel loved, and we'll make her feel wanted," Doogie said. "It won't be that hard, since she is completely welcome here, and she is completely loved here, and she is completely wanted here."

"Yes." Mrs. Howser went back to washing a dinner plate, then stopped and looked back up at Doogie again. "Doogie? Can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything, Mom," Doogie said with a smile.

"Well, I—I do want Lex to feel at home here. And I want her to feel liked by the kids at school. So, well, I was wondering… do you think maybe you could get Wanda, and maybe Vinnie, to, well, 'hang out' with Lex at school tomorrow?" she asked, speaking of Doogie's best friend and his girlfriend.

"Mom," said Doogie, shaking his head. "I'm sure Wanda will have no problem with that, and for that matter, neither will Vinnie. But I'm not so sure you want Vinnie around Lex right now… he sort of has other ideas for her, if you know what I mean."

"Dear, I think Lex can stand her ground against Vinnie. She just needs somebody to show her around, until she can make her own friends. Please, Doogie, this is important to me."

Doogie laughed. "Okay, Mom, whatever you say. But don't be surprised if Vinnie comes over next week and asks you for her hand in marriage."

Mrs. Howser laughed, too. "Okay." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "Thanks, Doogie," she whispered. "This means a lot."

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All right, you all, read and review!


	3. No Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Thanks for the reviews, christianrockstar and gamble7, you guys are great! Great job on your fics, as well! I was so excited when I got here and saw that there were TWO new Doogie fics that day! So keep up the great work, you two, I'm excited to read more of your stories, and more of Sophie9's story too! Thanks for reading, everyone!

Chapter 2: No Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

The next morning, Doogie offered to drop Lex off at the high school on his way to work. At first, she refused, saying that it was too much trouble, but after a little prodding from Doogie, her aunt, and her uncle, she agreed. That was how she and Doogie ended up outside the school in his station wagon.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Doogie asked as Lex sat, unmoving, in the passenger seat.

Lex shook her head.

"Are you sure, Lex? It's no problem."

Lex inhaled, then let the breath out in a sigh. "No, it's all right. You'll be late for work. But thanks, though." Still, she didn't make a move to get out of the car.

Doogie looked questioningly over at Lex, then opened the car door and got out. He walked to Lex's side and opened her door for her.

Still, Lex made no move to get out. "Rain," she said, glancing out the windshield to the overcast sky that was threatening to open up. "I hate rain." _It matches my mood_, she thought bitterly to herself.

Doogie bent down and looked into the interior of his wagon. He took in the look on Lex's face and could almost see what she was thinking. "Come on, Lex. It won't be so bad. Just give it a chance."

Lex put her fingertips to her temples for a few seconds. "Okay. Okay." She turned her body so that her legs were outside the car, then stood up. She moved out of the way, and Doogie shut the door behind her. She stood on the curb, staring at the school rising up in front of her. Reminding her of the last time she stared up at a large building. The last time that she and Gavin had played with The Atomic Nachos. The day that she found her mother, dead in her bedroom. Lex shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

"I'll walk you inside, Lex," Doogie told his cousin. "Okay?"

Lex nodded slowly as Doogie began walking towards the front entrance. She reluctantly followed, trying to forget her problems.

Inside the crowded lobby, Doogie spotted his girlfriend's smiling face. "Wanda!" he called.

Wanda heard her name and looked up quickly. Seeing Doogie, she excused herself from her group of chattering friends. "Hi, Doogie!" she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey, Wanda," Doogie said, a little embarrassed, yet proud, to be seen being kissed by Wanda Plenn in the middle of the high school.

"You must be Lex," Wanda said warmly, pulling back from her boyfriend and smiling broadly at Doogie's cousin.

Lex nodded. "Yeah."

"Wanda, this is my cousin, Lex. Lex, this is my girlfriend, Wanda," Doogie introduced the girls.

"Hi, Lex, nice to meet you," said Wanda.

"You too," Lex said softly.

Doogie had not yet said anything to Wanda about the proposition his mother had posed to him the night before, but Wanda didn't need it. She took charge of the situation right away. "So Lex, we ought to go get your class schedule," Wanda said. "We'll look at it before the first bell and figure out where you need to go, and then maybe we'll have time for a quick tour. Does that sound okay?" Wanda asked Lex.

"Sure," Lex said, staring at the ground.

"Great!" said Wanda. "We'll go to the office and you can meet the principal."

Doogie was about ready to say good-bye to the two girls standing with him so that he could get to work when he noticed that Lex was still staring at the ground, still not looking comfortable with the whole situation. He glanced at his watch and saw that he was due to be at work in ten minutes, then looked back at Lex, and decided that he could be late just this once. "Come on, Lex, I'll walk with you."

Lex nodded, finally looking up. "No, Doogie, I know you've got to get to work."

"No, don't worry about it. Let's go. I want to make sure you know what you're doing before I leave." Doogie made a move to go after Wanda, and Lex had no choice but to follow.

Upon reaching the office, the trio entered. Wanda grabbed Lex's wrist and sauntered up to the desk in the center of the office while Doogie hung back by the door. Right inside, several chairs were lined up facing the large desk. Doogie laughed to himself when he saw Vinnie sitting in one of the chairs. "Vinnie, what are you doing here?" he asked. "The day hasn't even started, and you're in trouble already?"

Vinnie stood up from his chair and came to Doogie. "As a matter of fact, no, I am not. I just figured, um, well, uh…" Vinnie was staring, and Doogie followed his line of vision to Lex, who was talking to the secretary at the desk.

Doogie looked up at the ceiling and shook his head, remembering the night before when Vinnie had first met Lex.

"Doog, Doog, I know you told me to let her alone… but she's so…"

"God, Vinnie, she's my cousin, I don't want to hear it!" Doogie said, holding up a hand.

"Okay, okay," said Vinnie.

Doogie grabbed Vinnie's shoulder. "Vinnie, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

Vinnie looked up, his interest spiked. "Depends on what it is."

"Now, I know this is going to be very hard for you to do, but I was wondering if you could, well, be sort of like a host for Lex. Between you and Wanda, I was wondering if you could show her around the school and help her meet people. I--"

"You don't need to say it twice! I'm there for you, man," said Vinnie, grinning like an idiot.

"Great. And could you also give her a ride home from school this afternoon? I heard it's supposed to rain, and I don't want her--"

"Consider it done, Doog!" Then Vinnie strode away, over to Lex, leaving Doogie with his mouth wide open, not able to finish what he was saying.

Doogie shut his mouth and watched his friend as he reached Lex's side.

Vinnie put his hand on Lex's shoulder, and Lex spun around to face him. "Lex, do you, uh, remember me?"

Lex looked hard at Vinnie, and Doogie was surprised when she actually began to smile. "You're Dinnie, right? No, wait, it's Pinnie, isn't it?"

Doogie laughed to himself. _That_ was the Lex he knew.

Vinnie swallowed hard, then said, "Uh, no, it's _V_innie. It's short for Vincent."

Lex smiled again; it was the most Doogie had seen her smile in the eighteen hours since she'd arrived. Then suddenly, her face changed. Doogie saw the smile be wiped off her face and be replaced with one of concern. "Vinnie, are you all right?"

Vinnie whirled around and shot passed Doogie, out of the office, his face pale. Lex watched him go, her eyebrows knitted together, and Wanda and the secretary turned around.

"Uh, he's all right, Lex," said Doogie, walking quickly to his cousin. "When he gets nervous, his stomach gets a little upset. Um, I'm going to go check on him; will you be all right today?"

Lex nodded. "Yes, I'll be fine."

"I'll make sure she finds all her classes," Wanda said.

Doogie nodded and leaned down to Wanda to give her a quick peck. Then he hugged Lex. "Okay. See you at home, Lex?"

Lex nodded and watched Doogie shoot out the door after Vinnie. Then she turned to Wanda. "What is he nervous about?" she asked.

Wanda, who knew exactly how Vinnie's mind worked, just shook her head. Knowing that Lex was already uncomfortable as it was, being in a new school and having gone through a recent tragedy, she said, "Don't worry about him. I'm sure he's fine. Here's your schedule." She handed Lex a piece of paper. "It looks like first period, you have American history."

Lex took the paper and began reading it. Suddenly, all thoughts of Vinnie vanished from her mind as she saw her schedule. She was excited; she was signed up for a course in music theory, as well as the marching band and the concert choir. However, what she saw listed after that made her stomach knot up. "Oh, God," she muttered. "Gym class?"

"What?" asked Wanda, who hadn't heard what Lex had muttered.

"Uh, nothing," said Lex. She remembered the horrible experiences she had had at her old school in gym class, and she knew that it wouldn't be much better here, either. Lex was not an athlete, and that usually made her the butt of everyone's jokes.

Suddenly, a bell sounded.

"That's the first bell. We've got five minutes until first period starts," said Wanda. "Why don't I show you to your first class?"

Lex nodded, and she allowed Wanda to drag her out of the office. _This is going to be interesting_, she thought. _And it's going to suck majorly_.

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"So she's hot, I take it?" Dr. Jack McGuire said, stuffing his face with a doughnut.

"She's only fifteen!" said Doogie, glaring at Jack.

"Oh. Well, maybe I like them a little young," he said with a chuckle.

Doogie gave Dr. McGuire a horrible look, and Nurse Curly Spaulding whacked Dr. McGuire on the arm. "Jack, that's child abuse!" she scolded.

"And so wrong for you to be telling _me_," Doogie said. "She's my cousin!"

"Well, if you lived in West Virginia, you could marry her," Dr. McGuire argued, leaning against the counter.

"Yeah, and so could you. But I don't think your mother would look too favorably upon you bringing home a fifteen year old girl," Curly said as she slipped an arm around Jack and picked a doughnut out of the box.

"Hey, who cares about my mother? If she's hot, I'm a happy camper."

"That is _so_ shallow, and so chauvinistic," Curly said, rolling her eyes and stepping away from the admitting desk.

"And just—just so _wrong_," Doogie told Dr. McGuire, and he followed Curly.

Jack straightened. "What? Now, come on, I was just kidding, Doogie! Curly? Guys, don't hold this against me, it was just a joke! Come on!" Jack called, picking up his clipboard and starting after his friends. "I was _kid_ding, guys! Come on!"

"Bad joke, McGuire," called Curly.

Doogie and Curly found themselves outside the staff lounge now. Doogie's half-eaten doughnut was still in his hands as the two entered, sitting down at the table.

There was silence for a few seconds while Doogie thought about what he should say to Curly. He had started to ask both her and Dr. McGuire for advice on the Lex situation, but then Dr. McGuire had started the whole "is she hot" thing and he had never finished. That was typical of McGuire the womanizer, so he should have expected not to get the answers he was looking for from Jack. However, he knew that Curly probably could, and would, help. "Uh, Curly, you're a girl, right?" Doogie blurted out.

Curly, who was using a straw to stir her coffee, chuckled and looked at Doogie strangely. "I think I am. I mean, that's what it says on my birth certificate and driver's license."

Doogie chuckled. "Yeah, I know that. I just—I mean… well, you know I was talking about my cousin, Lex."

Curly nodded, looking at her co-worker with concern. "Yes, you started to, until Jack butted in."

"Yeah. Well, the reason she's staying with us is because her mother—my aunt—just died."

"Oh, how awful!" Curly said, her eyebrows raising and her lips frowning in worry.

Doogie nodded. "She has no idea where her father is. He left her and her mother when she was just two years old, so she has nobody. We've taken her in, at least for the time being, until her father can be located and made aware of the situation. The thing is… Curly, she's not acting like herself. I mean, granted, I haven't spent a lot of time with her in the last year, but… I don't know. She's just not the Lex I know."

Curly nodded in understanding, impressed with how the young boy was concerned for his cousin. She reached across the table and put her hand on Doogie's, which was still holding the half-eaten doughnut. "That's normal, Doogie. I think with all that she's been through, it's normal for her to change the way she acts. I mean, she's now an orphan, or at least as close to an orphan as she can get; if I were in her shoes, I think I'd be so sick with grief that I wouldn't be my self at all."

"But that's just it. I don't think she's grieving," Doogie told Curly. "She has not cried _once_ since it happened."

"How long has it been since her mother passed on?" Curly asked.

"A week," Doogie answered.

"Well, I think that's normal too. We all grieve in our ways; maybe this is just _her_ way."

Doogie was about to answer when the door to the lounge opened. "Guys," said Jack, "we've got a multiple MVA coming in; we're going to need your help."

Doogie and Curly nodded their heads as Dr. McGuire left as quickly as he had come.

"Don't worry, Doogie, she'll be fine. Just give her time," Curly said, standing up. She patted Doogie's hand again. "It'll just take a little adjustment for her, that's all." She headed towards the door, then turned. "You coming?"

Doogie stood up and nodded. "Yeah. In a minute."

"Okay." Curly smiled at him and walked out of the lounge, leaving Doogie standing alone, his half-doughnut still in his hands.

"I hope you're right, Curly," he said. "I really hope so." With that, he tossed his doughnut in the waste can by the vending machine and headed toward the ER.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lex was ready to meet her maker. She didn't care how it happened, whether she was murdered or whether she committed suicide, she just wanted it to be over.

_Who the heck plays football when it's pouring down rain_? she asked herself. Though California Octobers were never downright cold, cooler air in the lower fifties had moved in with the rain, and Lex shivered, the chilly precipitation soaking through the battered T-shirt and shorts she was wearing. _Is this guy, like, an insane psychopath?_ _Any teacher who is in their right mind wouldn't take their students outside in the pouring rain!_

She looked up just in time to see the football sailing at her. Though usually she avoided any ball in any sport, there was no way she could move this time. The pass was beautiful, having been sent by the star quarter back of the high school's football team, who happened to be in her gym class.The ball was headed straight for her stomach, and in an attempt to protect herself, she put her arms in front of her body. The ball landed neatly in her hands. _God, this is cruelty to animals_, she thought, thinking of the pigskin material in her hands.

She was in the middle of the football field now, the ball, and the game, in her control. And yet, she did nothing but stand there, completely confused and completely not wanting to be there. _And co-ed gym? What does that accomplish? And how the hell did every guy on the football team end up in _my _class? Is the world so against me that my life isn't horrible enough already and they've got to torture me-- oh, God, here's the end,_ she added to her inner monologue. She saw a large varsity football player from the other team careening at her. _And who the heck lets boys tackle girls_?

"Holy shit!" she shrieked, and she turned around and began to run towards the end zone in an attempt to preserve her life.

"Hey, you freak!" yelled one of the girls on Lex's team who was guarding the end zone. "You're going the wrong way! Turn around! Hellooo!"

Lex ignored her. She hated gym class. She hated sports. She hated football. She hated large senior boys who careened after little five foot, two inch tall, one hundred and ten pound Lex. She hated pretty little cheerleaders who stood in the end zone yelling at her.

"Hellooo! What are you _do_ing!" the cheerleader shrieked as Lex came at her. "Take the ball down there!" She pointed to the other end of the field.

"Why don't you!" Lex shouted, tossing the ball at the girl as she reached the end zone.

The cheerleader, who wasn't much of a football player herself, squealed as the ball careened towards her head. "My nose!" she shrieked, sounding eerily like Marcia Brady from _The Brady Bunch._

_That's exactly what I aimed for_, Lex thought to herself. She continued running full force through the end zone, across the harrowed dirt track surrounding the field, through the open gate of the fence around the track, and across the one hundred and fifty yards of grass beyond until she reached a lone tree in the middle of the field. She stopped, hunched over, pain shooting through her abdomen from running so hard. Then she dropped to the ground at the base of the tree and wrapped her arms around it, hugging it with all of her strength as the rain poured down over her.

"Please let this be a nightmare, please let this be a nightmare," she chanted over and over, squinting her eyes shut. "Please. Please."

And still, no tears fell from Lex Aidan's eyes.


	4. Hell Hath No Fury

Thanks for being so patient with me while I write this story, guys! I was quite busy with summer classes, but now they're over and I have a little time to write! Thanks to all of my reviewers, Gamble7, MaryRose, christianrockstar, and lilylynn! You guys are great! Especially you, mummy mate! I know that you don't know much about Doogie Howser, but you still read my story anyways, so thanks for your support, I love you so much, and don't worry, I'll update my other story one of these days… btw, lilylynn, thanks for your e-mail, I'll e-mail you back soon, I've got lots to tell you! And thanks for your e-mail too, christianrockstar, this chapter is especially for you, it probably wouldn't have gotten up this fast if it weren't for you! So without further ado, I present to you chapter 3!

Chapter 3 Hell Hath No Fury

Vinnie sat with his car idling outside of the school, his windshield wipers wiping a mile a minute. He was waiting for Lex to give her a ride home, just as his best friend had asked. But he was starting to worry. He had been waiting for a half hour now, and she was nowhere to be seen.

He was beginning to wonder if she had forgotten when he saw her in the distance, heading his way. She was walking up the walkway very slowly, her head down, and Vinnie couldn't figure out why, when it was pouring down rain. She should have been running full force; instead, she looked as though the world was going to end.

She eventually reached the car and stopped outside the passenger side door. She pulled up on the handle, and the door eased open, revealing the dry interior. She saw Vinnie staring up at her. His jaw dropped when he caught a good look. "Lex, what happened to you?" he asked, taking in her dripping wet T-shirt and shorts. Her long blond curls hung limply around her face, the ringlets clinging to her cheeks and neck.

Lex shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it," she said. She reached into her bag and pulled out her gym towel, which was soaking wet, and laid it across the seat. Then she put her bag on the floor of the car and crawled in.

Vinnie opened his mouth to say something about Lex leaking water all over his mother's car's upholstery, then shut his mouth before anything came out. By the awful look on her face and the horrible disarray her clothes were in, he didn't dare say anything. _She still looks cute, though, even when she's dripping wet_, he thought to himself as he put the car into gear and headed out of the school's parking lot.

Curiosity was burning in Vinnie as he guided the car down the wet streets. He couldn't figure out why Lex looked as though she had had been put through the washing machine and stuck on the spin cycle a few hundred times. Every few seconds, he would cast a glance at his best friend's cousin before looking back at the road, wondering.

"Vinnie, stop looking at me!" Lex eventually cried out, annoyed. He was thoroughly creeping her out by the way he was gawking at her.

Vinnie looked taken aback as he tapped the brakes to stop the car at the stoplight. "No, I—I wasn't looking at you—I was, uh… I was looking at all of those wonderful trees outside… uh, you know, how the wind bends them and makes them flow in the wind so gracefully, and uh…"

Lex looked over at Vinnie, and her eyes softened as she saw him struggling to come up with an excuse, staring out the windshield. She found it rather cute. Cute in a funny, comical way, but nevertheless, cute. She found herself apologizing to Vinnie, who hadn't been anything but nice to her since she had arrived at her cousin's, unlike some of the other people Lex had encountered. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, Vinnie," she said.

Vinnie glanced over at the girl next to him. "Hey, it's all right," he said casually. He just continued staring at her, mesmerized.

"Uh, Vinnie?" said Lex. "The light's green."

"Oh! Oh, yeah. I knew that. Really, I did." Vinnie looked back at the road in front of him and hit the gas pedal.

Lex rolled her eyes to herself. She took a breath and sighed, then glanced over at Vinnie in time to see him looking at her again. Putting a hand to her sopping wet forehead, she massaged her temples.

Her very first day at this stupid high school had been one of those days she'd remember for the rest of her life—and it wasn't because it was good. She had merely gotten lost on her way to French class, trying to find her way around, and had been late. She had gotten a demerit; her teacher must have been the devil himself, unable to find it in his heart to forgive Lex this one time on account of her being in a new school. And then there was chemistry class. Lex thought she might have had to kill herself afterwards. Her lab partner was an accident waiting to happen; in one class period, Kevin had knocked over and broken a jar of fruit flies; had spilled hydrochloric acid on Lex's notebook, which had been eaten through by the mixture;, and had nearly set fire to the lab by spritzing distilled water on the Bunsen burner and sending up a shroud of sparks. And, to top it off, not only did they make her play football in the pouring rain during gym class, but after a few minutes with her tree in the middle of nowhere, she headed back to the locker room to change, only to find that those stupid cheerleaders who had yelled at her earlier had stolen her street clothes, forcing her to wear her soaked gym uniform home. She couldn't prove that it was the cheerleaders who had stolen them, since they were gone by the time Lex got back, but she was pretty sure. And now, here she was, dripping in a near stranger's car, going home to a strange place to see family members that she had only seen once a year until now. It couldn't get any worse.

"Lex—I—uh—how was school today?" asked Vinnie as he drove, trying to start conversation.

"I don't want to talk about it," Lex snapped coldly, the memories still fresh in her mind.

Vinnie looked taken aback. "Gee, Lex, I'm--"

"Vinnie, please!" Lex yelled. When she saw the look on Vinnie's face, her voice softened. "Vinnie, please, just… just take me home."

Vinnie pulled into the Howsers' driveway a few minutes later. Lex opened the door and fell out of the car in her hurry to get out. "Thanks, Vinnie," she called, picking herself up off the ground. She dashed to the side door of the house, not able to get inside fast enough. _Not here. Not now_, she told herself as she fumbled with the doorknob.

"Lex!" she heard Vinnie calling. "Lex, you forgot your bag! Lex! Lex, wait!"

The side door swung open, and Lex dashed in, wet clothes and all. She pushed passed her aunt Katherine, who was standing at the kitchen counter chopping vegetables, and nearly plowed over Doogie, who had just gotten home from work.

"Lex?" asked Katherine, putting her knife down.

Doogie gazed after her as he heard his cousin thumping up the stairs in the next room two at a time. Then his attention was quickly diverted to the side door again as Vinnie came dashing in, a bag in his hands, rain dripping down the sides of his face. "Where'd she go? She forgot her bag," he said a bit breathlessly.

"Calm down, Vinnie," said Doogie in the no-nonsense tone that he usually used at work.

"Howser, I'm calm. I'm calm!" Vinnie closed the door behind him and dropped Lex's book bag on the floor.

"What happened? Is Lex all right?" Mrs. Howser asked Vinnie, running her hands through some water in the sink.

"I—I don't know, Mrs. Howser. She was late meeting me at school, and then when I did find her, she looked like she'd drowned or something." Vinnie sighed. "She hates me. She really, truly hates me. I don't even know what I did to her!" Vinnie leaned against the kitchen counter, his chin in his hands.

"I don't think she hates you, Vinnie," said Doogie. "She's just adjusting to a new school and a new home and everything." Doogie grabbed a chunk of carrot off his mother's cutting board.

"I agree," Mrs. Howser said. "But maybe I should go check on her." She dried her hands on a kitchen towel.

"Mrs. Howser, with all due respect, I don't think that's such a good idea. She might tear your head off or something. I don't think she's in a real 'people' mood," said Vinnie.

"Well, then, I--" started Mrs. Howser, but she was cut off by a blood-curdling scream from upstairs.

Mrs. Howser and Doogie looked at each other in alarm, then dashed through the swinging door into the living room, leaving Vinnie in the kitchen. "Lex!" Mrs. Howser shouted as she and her son raced up the stairs.

"Lex!" Doogie called.

As they reached Lex's closed bedroom door, they heard another scream.

Mrs. Howser dashed to the door and knocked quickly. "Lex. Lex, can I come in?" she said. When she got no answer, she tried turning the knob, but the door was locked. "Lex! Lex, let me in, right this instant!"

There was nothing but silence on the other side of the door.

"Alexa Nicole! Open this door right now!" Mrs. Howser yelled, still twisting at the knob.

"Mom, we've got to get in there," Doogie said, alarmed when his cousin didn't answer. "Maybe she's hurt!" He stepped up next to his mother, who moved slightly to the side. "Lex!" he said, rapping on the door and twisting the knob. "Lex, it's Doogie! Are you all right?"

Still no answer.

"Lex. Lex, please answer me!" Doogie said. "Just let me know you're okay!"

Suddenly, the door flew open. A shoe came flying out of the room at lightning speed, nearly beaning Doogie in the head, and then the door slammed shut.

"I am _not_ okay!" a voice shrieked from inside.

"Lex! Please, let us in!" Doogie said, recovering quickly from almost being killed by a shoe. He turned the knob of the door, only to find it locked, again.

Then the lock moved and the door opened. A matching shoe sailed out. Doogie jumped out of the way just in time.

"Screw those huge football players!" the voice yelled from inside. A book came flying out of the room next, followed by an alarm clock, another shoe, and a large packing crate. "Those stupid tight assed cheerleaders! Those dumb teachers!" Another shoe, followed by a bottle of shampoo and another book. "This freaking town! I hate it all!"

Just as Doogie was about to push his way into the room, the door slammed again, and he heard the click as Lex locked the door.

There was dead silence as Lex was quiet, and mother and son were left to stare at each other.

However, the silence in the hall was broken suddenly by the very deafening, very heavy sounds of Rage Against the Machine.

Doogie and his mother stood in the hall looking at each other. Mrs. Howser stepped towards the door again and began knocking. "Lex! Lex, please let me in! Talk to me!" she said. "I can help you!"

"She's not going to hear you, Mom!" Doogie yelled over the heavy metal music. "_I _can barely hear you, and I'm standing right next to you."

Mrs. Howser looked at her son, and her hand fell from the door. She nodded. "You're right."

"Maybe we should just let her alone," Doogie shouted.

Mrs. Howser nodded, and she and Doogie headed back to the kitchen.

It was quiet in the kitchen, or as quiet as it could be with Lex's music blaring upstairs and Vinnie chomping away on some Twinkies he had found in the pantry. Still, the two could hear each other talking, albeit they had to raise their voices a little more than normal.

"That chick's got a set of lungs, doesn't she?" asked Vinnie as he chewed. "Maybe she ought to--"

Doogie gave Vinnie a dirty look before he could finish his sentence. "Vinnie, shut-up," he said.

"What? What did I do?" asked Vinnie, swallowing his mouthful of Twinkie.

Doogie shook his head. He doubted that Vinnie would understand the worry that he and his mother had gone through just a few minutes before.

Vinnie shrugged his shoulders. "Well, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Especially if that woman happens to be Lex Aidan." He stuffed another Twinkie into his mouth.

Mrs. Howser, who had gone back to chopping vegetables, sighed. "You hit the nail on the head there, Vinnie." She looked up from her chopping to make eye contact with the two boys. "There's a lot going on with her. A lot of pent up anger, a lot of sadness that she's not letting out, a lot of feelings of uselessness."

"I know. I just wish she'd let us help her," Doogie said.

Mrs. Howser nodded wistfully. "I guess she just needs time." She paused, then added, "It just hurts me that she won't let me help. I only want what's best for her, you know. I love--"

Suddenly, the music shut off upstairs.

Vinnie, Doogie, and Mrs. Howser all looked at each other, and then Mrs. Howser said, "I'm going to talk to her."

"No, Mom, I don't think that's such a good idea. I think--"

"I'll go," said Vinnie.

Doogie looked at his best friend. "No, Vinnie, I'm not so sure _that's_ a good idea, either. She's angry. Pissed, even. You don't want to mess with her."

Vinnie smiled wryly at Doogie. "I've dealt with pissed off women before. Trust me, I can handle this. Maybe she just needs somebody who isn't in her family. You know what I mean?"

"Vinnie, Lex is seriously distressed. With everything that has happened to her in the last few weeks, I don't think she wants some girl-crazy next door neighbor drooling all over her," Doogie said.

"Relax, Doog," Vinnie said, putting down one of his half-eaten Twinkies. "There's more to me than puberty and raging hormones." Vinnie slapped Doogie on the back and headed towards the swinging door without being asked.

Doogie reached out and put a hand on Vinnie's shoulder. "Vinnie, no, stop," he said.

"Doogie, I promise. I won't do anything you wouldn't do." Vinnie turned to face Doogie. "And with you being her cousin, that limits the possibilities." He winked and left the kitchen.

Doogie sighed and came to stand on the opposite side of the counter as his mother. He watched her chopping vegetables, then said a few moments later, "Should I be regretting letting him go?"

A large racquet was heard overhead as something clattered against one of the second floor walls.

"_Leave me the hell alone, Pinnie! Or Dinnie! Or whatever the hell your name is!_" Lex screamed. There was more thudding, and then Rage Against the Machine came blaring once again from the second floor.

"I'll take that as a yes," Doogie said.

"And that's the thanks I get for trying to help," Vinnie said as he zoomed into the kitchen.

"Don't take it personally, Vinnie," Mrs. Howser said. "It has nothing to do with you."

"She's like a he-man!" Vinnie said as he reached the side door and opened it. "I can't work under pressure like this! Doog, I'll see ya later, man. _Ciao._" He shut the door behind him, then opened it again. He took the few steps to the edge of the countertop and grabbed the Twinkie he had left there. "Thanks for the Twinkies, Mrs. H. Gotta run. See ya." And he was out the door, leaving Doogie and his mother alone to deal with the ranting Lex upstairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When David Howser arrived home from work, he could hardly believe what was going on.

"What's this?" he screamed to his wife, who was stirring some rice on the stove.

"What?" Mrs. Howser yelled.

"It's Metallica!" Doogie called from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, a magazine propped in front of him. He didn't even look up as he said this.

"I know that! Why is it blaring in our house!" Dr. Howser Sr. shouted, moving towards the swinging door to go upstairs.

"David, stop!" Mrs. Howser said, racing after her husband. "Let it go."

Dr. Howser stopped and turned to face his wife. "Why?" he asked. He jumped suddenly as an obnoxiously loud electric guitar-ridden solo was heard over the roaring music. "What the heck is that?" he asked.

"That," Doogie said, finally glancing up from the magazine, "is a guitar."

"Don't, David," Katherine said, reaching for her husband's shoulder. "Don't. It's just Lex. She's burning off some anger. Her first day of school didn't go well."

Nobody spoke for a few seconds as they listened. "She's good," Dr. Howser finally lamented, turning from the swinging door.

Katherine nodded and smiled. "She is, isn't she? Runs in the family." She winked at her husband, remembering her own days of music, when she performed at Woodstock with her band.

"So how long has this been going on?" David asked as he sat in a chair across from his son.

"About an hour," Doogie said.

"It should blow over soon. I hope," Katherine yelled.

David Howser looked ready to explode, annoyed with the commotion, but when he saw the pleading look on his wife's face, he refrained from saying anything too mean. "What's for dinner?" he called.

"Rice with chicken!" Mrs. Howser called back with forced brightness. "And peas!"

"Ah, sounds… sounds nice, Katherine!" Dr. Howser said. He began to twiddle his thumbs, trying to pretend as though everything was normal.

"How was work?" Mrs. Howser bellowed to Dr. Howser.

"It was fine. Fine!" he screeched back.

A few uncomfortable moments passed.

"What are you reading, Son?" Dr. Howser finally started. He was startled, though, when suddenly the music upstairs stopped. The last two syllables of his sentence came out as a roar in the now deathly silent house.

Doogie didn't answer his father. Instead, he looked to his mother, whose eyes had widened at the sudden change of acoustics in the house. Then he looked to his father, who was wearing a hopeful expression.

As quietly as a church mouse, the door to the kitchen swung open, and Lex appeared. "Aunt Katherine?" she asked softly, in a tone completely different from the raging Lex of just an hour before.

"Lex? Are you all right?" Mrs. Howser asked, moving forward to her niece.

Lex nodded. Her face was a little pale, but otherwise Lex didn't look at all like the mess she should have been after her escapade upstairs. "I—I'm sorry, Aunt Katherine. I—I—I--" She stuttered, unable to find the words to describe what she was feeling.

"It's okay, Lex. Don't worry about," Katherine said, moving towards her niece and wrapping her up in a hug.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Lex whispered into her shoulder. "I—I--"

At that moment, the phone rang. Doogie picked up the cordless phone that was sitting next to him while his mother comforted his cousin and his father stood to join his wife and niece. "Hello?" he asked, propping his feet on the kitchen table. "Uh huh. You want to talk to Lex? Okay, hold on a minute." He covered the mouthpiece of the phone with his hand to look at his parents and Lex. "Lex? Lex, there's someone on the phone for you."

"Douglas, tell her to call back later," David instructed. "Alexa is a little busy at the moment."

Doogie was about to comply with his father's wishes when Lex spoke up. "No, wait. Doogie, who is it?"

"He says his name is Gavin. Gavin Andrews. He says he knows you from--" Doogie was cut off by Lex, who had dashed over to her cousin and grabbed the phone from him.

"Gavin!" she shrieked into the phone, suddenly all smiles. "Gavin! Oh my god! I'm so glad you called!"

"Who's Gavin?" David asked, wondering about the effect that this boy was having on his niece.

"Gavin Andrews," Doogie answered. "He says he knows Lex from back home. He said something about a band. And some nachos. And for some reason, he started talking about chemistry and atomic particles…"

The three of them looked on in wonder as Lex actively talked on the phone. None of them were quite sure what was going on with her, how she could go from sad to happy in one minute.

_I just wonder_, thought Doogie to himself, _if there's really anything any of us can do for her._


End file.
